Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-02-08

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras in Ukraine on Wednesday and Thursday

[02] Trump position 'a catalyst' for EU-IMF differences on Greece, Daniel Gros tells ANA

[03] Tourism bodies in Lesvos denounce EC's decision to halt special visas for Turkish tourists

[04] Supreme Court judges overwhelmingly reject proposal to increase retirement age

[01] PM Tsipras in Ukraine on Wednesday and Thursday

On Wednesday at 20:15 Tsipras will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Groysman and afterwards the two officials will make joint statements to the press. A working dinner with Groysman will follow.

On Thursday at 10:00, Tsipras will tour the cathedral of St.Sophia and the museum of Kiev. At 11:00 the Greek prime minister will meet with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and afterwards the two delegations will hold broad talks.

Tsipras and Poroshenko will make joint statements to the press at 12:15 and a working luncheon will follow.

A meeting with the representatives of the Greek community will be held at 15:00.

The Greek premier will depart for Athens at 18:00.

[02] Trump position 'a catalyst' for EU-IMF differences on Greece, Daniel Gros tells ANA

According to Gros, who is the director of the influential Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) think tank based in Brussels, once Trump has made his position on Greece clear, this will act as a catalyst in the disagreements between the Eurozone and the IMF.

Similar opinions have been expressed by Eurozone officials, who said there can no certainty about whether the IMF wants to participate in the Greek programme since the new conditions that have arisen after Trump's election will also determine the Fund's role in Europe.

According to Gros, these differences of opinion will continue until the Trump administration clearly adopts a position. Noting that the man tapped to take over as U.S. Secretary for Commerce is the billionaire former banker Wilbur Ross, whose hedge fund has bought shares in Greece's Eurobank, Gros said that the Trump administration "might have an interest in keeping Greece alive."

He said this would strengthen a trend that already exists in the IMF to keep pressing Greece's partners - especially the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and Germany - to demand less of Greece, "so that the IMF can look good."

According to a recent Bloomberg report, however, Ross has signed an ethics agreement promising to sell his stake in WL Ross Private Equity Funds, which owns the shares in Eurobank. In an interview last May, Ross had expressed the opinion that the IMF "will win the war" and Greece will get the debt relief that it needs.

[03] Tourism bodies in Lesvos denounce EC's decision to halt special visas for Turkish tourists

According to the program, Turkish tourists who wished to visit the islands of Lesvos, Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Chios, Symi and Kastellorizo for a limited period of time could issue visas at the ports of these islands. The measure was introduced in an effort to boost tourism revenues.

In a joint press release, Lesvos' Chamber of Commerce, the Union of Tourism, Travel and Shipping Agents and island's Hoteliers Association criticized the government's response, saying its interest in the issue is restricted "to meetings and announcements to the media".

"It appears that the European Commission decided to eliminate the islands of the Eastern Aegean and especially Lesvos and punish them. In other words, some people decided that the islands of the eastern Aegean and Lesvos can only receive migrants and refugees but not tourists. Why are the islands treated like this after carrying the burden of the refugee problem with humanity?" the bodies said.

"We call on everyone and especially the Greek government, which apart from meetings and announcements to the media have done nothing for Lesvos, to get serious and take all necessary steps to solve the problem that has been created, as if the problems and disasters they have brought on us were not enough. Our perseverance and our tolerance have been exhausted," they added.

On her side, the Prefect of Northern Aegean Christiana Kalogirou responded to Katrougalos asking to do everything in its power to reverse the decision.

"Clearly, the gravity of the matter has not been made clear. For us and the people who insist on living and fighting for our islands, [the EU's response] resigning in advance is not acceptable," she wrote. "It is more than self-evident that the Greek State will have to insist and exhaust any possibility, in line with government commitments."

Earlier in the day, Katrougalos sent a letter to Kalogirou informing her about the Commission's decision.

"I would like to inform you that despite strenuous efforts and continuous interventions of the Foreign Ministry, both towards the European Commission and the European Commission Vice-President [Frans] Timmermans, Migration Commissioner [Dimitris] Avramopoulos and the Director General of the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs [Matthias] Ruete, it was not possible to extend the pilot visa facilitation program for the islands of the northern and southern Aegean after October 30, 2016," the minister said.

[04] Supreme Court judges overwhelmingly reject proposal to increase retirement age

The question they were called to vote on was: "Is there a need to increase the retirement age of judges, as stated in the Constitution of 1975, to protect the constitutional principles of independence and life-tenure which protect judges and which have been surpassed due to the increased life expectancy, social reality as well as legislative and other developments?"

With 40 votes in favour and 25 against, the judges decided there is no need to extend it and that the Constitution doesn't allow it. The dissenting 25 judges said increasing the retirement age is needed but not presently, as Thanou requested.

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